My gyming experience: Sometimes saving now means spending more later

I am not a gym-junkie. In fact, the only time I ever went to a gym was for muay thai lessons, and I quit after 4 sessions. I mean, there's something intimidating about going to a gym and being surrounded by either rich people who can afford a personal coach or avid "gymmers" that will put you to shame.

I have always been curious how people start gyming, I mean, we all gotta start as noobs before we make it up, but just how do you do that??? Maybe some people just aren't suitable for gyms...like me:D

Ok anyway! The gym that I went to wasn't even really the classic gym. It was more of a place where martial arts, self-defence and blah were taught. And I only considered it because my friend was learning muay thai there and so I kinda got roped in. I was considering another gym before this because that gym seemed more established and "proper", if that's the correct word.

Fight G was the gym my friend was already with, and the one I ultimately signed up with. The other gym in consideration was Kick.Box.Punch (I think that's their name.....) and they seem to focus entirely on Muay Thai. Also, they seem more structured in the sense that it was fixed instructor and a fixed class size.

On the other hand, Fight G really came off very messy and confusing when I first stepped into the gym. There seem to be little structure and everything seems more like a gathering place for groups of professionals or avid martial artists than earnest new learners.

Maybe its just me. I like order and structure.

So why did I end up going with Fight G even though it was so not my style? Because they were cheaper. Supposedly. Their per 4 sessions fee was lower than KBP. And since I already have a friend at Fight G, I went with Fight G.

Seems like I made a mistake though, because I ended up having to pay an extra $160 for 2 months of membership fees that I did not use at all and the late payment.

So apparently, Fight G works like this. There is a minimum term of 3 months when you sign up with them, meaning you have to pay fees for at least 3 months. And I didn't know that. I misunderstood the phrase as "signing up means you will be a member for 3 months" instead of "you have to at least pay for 3 months of fees". Gosh.....

And the worst part, I didn't continue after a month, so I didn't know I have to pay at all, and so I accumulate $135 worth of late payment fees.

Imagine my shock when I opened the letter and found myself in debt.

Naturally, I was shocked and furious. Like what do you mean I have to pay over $200 for nothing???

After negotiating with the gym, I managed to cut down my payment to $160. Which is still a large sum for a uni student like me. I mean, 160 means 16 more tops bottoms and makeup. And I'm paying for nothing!

I tried to argue my way out, but I have apparently signed a damn contract. So yea, unless I feel like going to court for $160 of payment, I'm just gonna have to suck it up. And I did.

And that's where a painfully expensive lesson was learnt. Sometimes, paying less now means paying more later, especially if you aren't careful. If I had just went for the more expensive gym, my cost will only be $120. Now it's $200++ :( Poor me....

My experience with Recruit Express

So I was thinking about working part-time during my winter break to earn some extra cash and chanced upon Recruit Express.

It is basically a recruiting company, as the name suggests. However, it is a bit more personal than other online platforms such as Fastjobs, in the sense that a consultant will actually be helping you. So I just signed up, not thinking much, going in with the mentality that even if I don't get anything its fine since I was just thinking about working to spend my time for fruitfully.

So well I went down for a consultation with my assigned consultant and after obtaining my preferences, my consultant tried to find a job opening for me on the spot. However, as I could only part-time for a month, he couldn't find anything just yet. So he told me he will try to find something suitable and will contact me as soon as possible. Well, I was perfectly fine with that, I understand that most part-time jobs require a minimum 3 month term.

The only problem I have is that within a span of just one day, I received 18 calls from Recruit Express, each call of a different consultant, all so eager to help me get a job.

I appreciate that enthusiasm to help out (or perhaps to obtain commission), but what I do not appreciate is that there seem to be no system to check if an applicant has already been contacted by a consultant. I had to repeat the same phrase for 5 times before I could take it no longer and simply rejected that rest.

Recruit Express, please do something about this.

Well besides this little bummer, I have to say they are quite active in helping you find a job of your preference. I did receive quite a few calls for job openings. Unfortunately I was quite picky in the sense that I wanted to have some free weekdays while most of the jobs they offered were for Mondays to Fridays. Also, I could only work till the end of December while most jobs require a longer term. So I had to give quite a couple a miss.

Well that's that. But, I did notice something else. So I received a call from a consultant about a one week retail assistant job at a departmental store. She said that I needed to send her my resume asap. So I did. I didn't hear anything from her till she called me again to notify me of another job opening. I actually didn't realise they were the same person until I asked for her email to send her my resume and it turned out to be the same. I then asked her about the retail assistant job, and she seem to stutter a bit and said she thought that I wasn't very suitable for it. I then asked her if she actually received my email with my resume. Her reply was quite odd, she said that she has to check, and then she took a while before she confirmed that she did receive it. I didn't think much of it till I hung up. That's when I realised that she found me unsuitable for the retail assistant role before she saw my resume. And I have never met her, I have only talked with her over the phone 2 or 3 times. How could she have possibly "found me unsuitable" for the job?

Perhaps there is something else, another reason. But its just really odd. I mean, if its because there were no more openings, you can just tell me right? That would be a much better and more acceptable reason than "I found you unsuitable".

Another incident was this. So I applied through this agency with my sister because we thought we could work together and have fun while we're at it. So a consultant texted us about a job opening at a shopping centre and initially said there were 2 openings. After we agreed to it, he suddenly said there was only 1 left and thought it would be better for my sister. Honestly, till now I only feel really frustrated with them. They seem to be all talk but no results.

Another incident was on a miscommunication of information. My sister very clearly told the consultant that she could only work till end January, but the consultant offered her a job that turned out to be a 3-month commitment. And mind you, we had to spend all the time and money travelling down to the location to be interviewed before we found out about this. Basically, time and money wasted.

My conclusion: this particular website, Recruit Express is not useless. However, don't depend on it too much. If I were you, I would keep my options and resources wide open.

Almost done with my very first sem~~

It was such a journey, going through PSLE, and then the 2 excruciating years of JC, the interviews and headaches over decisions, and finally I am here, done with my first semester. Well, the semester didn't disappoint.

I guess everyone has this idea about what University life is about. Some say it's about having fun, partying, living while you still can. Some say it should be about studying, about preparing for your future career. For me, I didn't really have a fixed idea about it, but I definitely expected quite a lot in terms of independence and freedom.

There were the downs. I couldn't get used to "communal living", what NUS likes to call it. I'm perfectly fine with people, just not 24/7. And there is this thing about eating with people you aren't close with. The awkward air ruins my appetite, and I can't wait till I get out of the dining hall. Staying on campus was perfectly fine with me, just not the dining part. I didn't like always having to get someone to eat with. I just wanna eat when I feel like it, and when I'm hungry. And then there's the noise level at the dining hall. Gosh, my poor eardrums and internal peace. Basically, my first half of the semester spend in a residential college on campus wasn't the best experience, which led to me quitting it. As in, I lived out the sem, but no more of it man.

I didn't exactly do well for my mid-terms too. I only had two, ACC1002(Accounting) and DSC2006(Operations Management), and while I didn't do bad, I didn't exactly do well either. It was above average, but not top-notch. And ok, I get it, above average should be something to be celebrated. But it's just, thinking about the fact that all your grades count towards your final certificate, it is nerve-wrecking. You gotta do well all the time. It's no longer like PSLE or A levels where you can screw your grades till the final exam.

And then at one point, I was drowning in projects. Actually thinking back, I'm not sure why I got so ...."allergic" to projects. It's not like I had a lot. Compared to my SMU friends who are living the project life, mine seemed tame. But there was just this period where I couldn't stand projects anymore. I was complaining till no end about the amount and intensity of it. But well, I did have quite a number of projects for this semester, a total of 11 projects.

But I got over it, and the point is I don't regret going through them. Some of the projects that I had were...."self-induced", in the sense that I signed up for it. And they are normally the ones that are the most taxing. There was this 2 hell weeks where I had 4 major projects to conquer. 2 were school-based, and they were the "light" ones. The other 2 were an external big-scale halloween event at a community center (where I was the freaking Chairperson) and a national case competition for Conjunct Consulting. It was really....omg I have no idea how I got through it. I was running between NUS and the community centre and actually didn't have the time for youtube at all. I youtube everyday....so for me to not have time for it......

But, I actually liked the intensity of things. Of course I can't keep up with that sort of intensity forever, I will definitely need a break once in a while. I felt so empty after the hell weeks past. Perhaps its because it was time to prepare for finals, and hence it was more dread than emptiness. But well, the 2 hell weeks will always be in my memory, for while it was extremely exhausting, it was such a good experience.

And I guess that's why I say University life didn't disappoint. While there will be tough times where I almost crumble, I start to find the good in it eventually, the fun and the joy. Well it didnt hurt that I got satisfactory results from the 2 major projects XD

Most importantly, I learned to live with myself. I think that was the biggest takeaway for this semester.

Review: HemoHim+

I only got to know of this supplement through my parents, who have adopted a habit of buying all types of supplements for their 3 daughters. So yes, the products are bought out of our own pockets.

And of course, I will be skeptical about it, I mean most of the time the supplements that they have bought are a miss, more than a hit.

They have bought hundreds worth of Kinohimitsu (which I am convinced is a scam), constant purchase of honey(this is highly recommended by me, who is prone to being heaty, I drink it once daily), and many other weird weird stuff that has been a miss.

But this, is a different story.

So it is actually manufactured by a Korea Company called atom美 (no idea why there is a chinese word) and is supposedly much better than korean ginseng. If you want to find out more, refer to their website here. Or simpy google atomy and click on Hemo Him+.

My parents went for their publicity talk and they spoke wonders about this product, about how it cured someone of her chronic migraine (I'm prone to migraine) and how it helped relieved the severe menstrual cramp of another (I have severe menstrual cramps). So yea, my mom was very excited about it and bought a whole box for me. Gosh! *sighs dramatically*

So I tried it, not wanting to disappoint her. And omg, the taste man. I was just doing my work, having a cup of water, and taking my first sip of this product, and omg, it was a bomb of bitterness on my tongue. So if you are trying this out for the first time, you are warned. The taste is NOT pleasant at all. It is very very bitter.

It was so bitter I called my mom right after my first sip to complain to her. But of course I got shot down and forced to finish it up.

After the first time, I did not continue drinking it.

But then after the delivery of the full box of products, I conceded and started drinking it once daily. Well, all I can say is you start getting used to the taste, so it's not that bad anymore.

And how about the benefits? Well I don't see any obvious benefits yet, like being more energetic or improved immunity system. But what was obvious, was that after one week of consumption, my period came according to schedule and......I didn't have severe menstrual cramps. Like I can still feel a little bit of aching, but that was it! And I still get some diarrhea, but that was it! So this benefit is proven! Also, it seems like my period is less heavy this time round, not sure how beneficial is this, but its definitely convenient hahahaha!

So yup, I would definitely recommend(for now) for people who have severe menstrual cramps to give this a shot. I'm not very sure about the pricing, but I think it should still be within the affordable range. And I mean, if you have severe menstrual cramps like me, you will understand that anything that relieves it is god-sent. So yes, if I were you, I would make that investment just to not have to writhe around for a day rushing to the toilet when the period hits.

Once again, this is purely my own experience, and everything is out of my own (or my parents') pocket. I'm not sure about the purchasing process, but my parents are more than willing to help you make your purchase! I'm pretty sure there would be some discounts or perks if you buy from members (that is my parents:D). Leave a comment if you are interested and I will get back to you as soon as possible!

Back to studying for finals....

-------Update----------

So I mentioned that one lady said this tonic product was treating her migraine. I don't know if it treated mine, as I do still get it. However, there was once when my migraine hit, and I thought why not give this product a try to see if it will help relief the pain.

IT DID NOT.

In fact it made me feel worse, I started getting nauseous and puked after that, essentially puking out the tonic. So yeah, I guess maybe don't try using this as a quick relief for migraine? I do find that caffox tables (I think that's how you spell it?) works really well, though it had a little bit of a sedative effect for me.

Dell XPS 13 Kaby Lake: My New Baby ~~

I'm no computer or tech geek, the only time I really dive deeper into tech stuff is when I am considering buying some new gadget. So the reason why I'm writing here today, is because I didn't find any website online that gives an account of buying from the dell online website.

So to sum up my experience: Dell is slow. They need to up their game man.

Just a few weeks ago I ordered an ipad mini 4 from apple online (for the education pricing) and the efficiency was really top-notch. If you order from the online store, you can generally get your goods by the next business day, or at most 2. I ordered a customised ipad mini 4 (engraving) and so it took longer. But still it came within 4 business days. And mind you, it's because I had it customised.

Now dell.....

Well, I didn't buy it from their online store. I have a feeling if I do, I wouldn't be typing on my new baby even now. I actually went down to their physical store at Plaza Singapura, expecting to be able to get my baby on the day itself. But perhaps it's because this is a new model that just launched, no stocks are available at the physical store, so basically, I still had to order it online, just through the physical store.

Service-wise, it was not bad. The sales assistant attending to me gave sufficient information without being pushy (although it can come across as being aloof) and when he understood my situation: I needed a new laptop fast and was skipping the upcoming IT Fair to get it on the day instead), he offered a better package (basically discounts and freebies) and also helped expedite the whole process, so I actually got my laptop in just 6 business days, faster than the anticipated 7-10 buiness days. He also pointed out that since this is a new product being launched, it may not be present in the IT fair, although he gave no guarantee. Also, I actually called up a few days later when I still did not receive an order confirmation. It was the same sales assistant that attended to me, and he did not hesitate to ease my mind by giving me a screenshot of his own system records to assure me that even though somehow I didn't get a confirmation, the goods were on their way. Conclusion: Service was acceptable, actually better than expected.

But the delivery speed, gosh. Look, I know that the kaby lake version is a new product, but really, by the time I ordered it, it has already been around for a month. A month and still you needa trace all the way back to the factory in China? Really?

I ordered on Tuesday, and received no reply(excluding my own enquiry) till the following Monday, where the delivery sector called me to set a delivery date, and it was to be on Wednesday.

But well, at least I still got it, so no hard feelings here.

And for the tech noobs out there, if you have around $1600 to spend, seriously consider the dell xps 13 kaby lake version. It is pure awesomeness. I got the FHD non-touch version simply because I was looking for a solid traditional laptop. Mind you, I was previously on the lenovo yoga 11s which is a touch-screen and I felt no difficulties with the transition. Yeah, I still occasionally reach out expecting the screen to react, but I'm getting used to it fast. Also, the increase in battery life is a much welcomed benefit, cos battery life is everything to me, now that I am in uni and constantly out and about with my laptop.

So yup, don't see the need to pay a few hundred more for the touch screen one.

Another big contender, which I was seriously considering as well, would be the lenovo yoga 910. If it wasn't because I was in urgent need of a laptop, I may have gotten the yoga 910, for its a few hundred more for a bigger touch screen that can flip. But oh well, still loving the dell here.

Just some issues I have though, the device is perfect when it is not plugged in, but when I am charging it while using it, it gets super hot, so hot that it actually shut down by itself and refused to work till it cooled down.

Yeah man, I am so convinced laptops have tantrums when my lenovo yoga 11s refused to turn on the screen a few days ago for no reason. Oh well!

Rantings: What is a gracious society?

I'm pretty sure you must know about how useful Stomp has recently become at exposing some people's "un-graciousness" in the public, most commonly on public transport. In fact, it's not only Stomp, it's social media in general. People would take a video or photo of how a soldier is sitting down in front of an elderly, of how young people are sitting on reserved seats, post them online and lament on the downfall of the society.

Honestly speaking, you gotta admit such actions are effective against the truly "ungracious". But what about the soldier that was simply exhausted from who knows how long of army? Or the youth who actually has an injury that you didn't know about?

And please, what about the elderly standing in front of the soldier? Why didn't he or she kindly wake the soldier up to request for the seat that was reserved for the elderly?

I was just taking the mrt home yesterday after attending the NDP Preview 2, and I was standing at an area in the mrt for the wheelchair-bound. And just so happen, there was an old lady sitting on a wheelchair in the same carriage.

Look, I stood there knowing well that there was a wheelchair-bound on the same carriage, but only because the lady did not move to occupy this area despite having been on the train for 2 stops already.

A lady then approach me, and in a rather stern manner, told me to vacate the space for the old lady on the wheelchair. I did vacate immediately, as the lady wasn't wrong in telling me to do so, I was just unhappy that she had to "scold" me about it. I mean, you could just tell me nicely to vacate that area, or even better, simply approach the old lady if she wants to move to the area.

That got me thinking actually, what a gracious society truly means.

You can't expect every single person to be constantly conscious of his or her surroundings. I shouldn't have to live my life constantly looking out for pregnant ladies, elderly or injured people on public transport and areas.

Because that is simply not possible. And if I have to simply leave all the reserved places empty, isn't that just inefficiency at its best?

Just imagine this, it's the rush hour at 7 am, the trains are super full, especially near the doors, and you see empty reserved seats and wheelchair areas. And then 5 people are stuck outside to wait for the next train because no one dares to use these areas.

Is this really graciousness? Isn't this just fear of cyber bullying?

And so, I believe that a truly gracious society, is one where we can freely request for our own rights whenever it applies. It means that no matter where I am sitting at, if I happen to notice someone who needs a seat more than me, I willingly offer my seat to them. It also means that should I have sprained my ankle and would really need to seat, I should approach someone who is on a reserved seat, explain my situation and request for the seat.

As simply as that.

Wouldn't that erase some of the awkward situations that could arise? For example not being positive if a lady is pregnant or simply on the heavier side.

It would be difficult to reach such a level, I guess. I mean, it's Singapore we're talking about, where smiling to a stranger will be deemed a weird action.

It is a dream nonetheless.

Camps: I have never ever truly WANTED to join one

I dislike camps. There I said it. I truly dislike camps. I don't hate them, but really, my worst behaviour is on show during camps.

Chill, I don't mean I become an ultimate bitch that complains till no end. That goes on silently, unnoticed in my brain. I just mean that my introvert self is completely out and about during camps.

Why is that so? Some may ask. Well, I came to this conclusion after chatting with a fellow camp mate that thought the same way as I do: it's because that for some people like us, we can be all high and enthusiastic on the first day. But then we'll need to take a break from the world and hide to heal before we are ready to meet the world again. Unfortunately, camps normally mean that you expose this side of yourself to your camp mates as well. If I'm with people I'm close to, they understand my need to recover silently, and hence I can freely retreat and emerge out of my zone without feeling awkward. The true problem comes when I'm with people I'm not so close with, like during orientation camps, when you are most probably grouped with strangers. After showing my quiet side, I just don't have the drive to get high anymore. And by then I, and the rest who are similar to myself, will most probably be labelled the "quiet one" already, even though people who know us, and even ourselves know it's a big fat LIE .

And so, camp becomes this tiring process of preventing our introverted side from showing itself too much. This often means being constantly outgoing, which is like the ultimate killer for me, unless I'm high on alcohol, lack of sleep or drugs(never tried this before though).

That being said, camps are still fun to a certain extent. You get to meet new people, find new friends, learn new cultures, and basically step out of your comfort zone.

I actually just finished a camp at NUS, and am going for another one soon, like tomorrow (and it's at moments like this that we ask ourselves: what the freak were we thinking). It was fun, I met people that I never had the chance to in my past 18 years of life. But there was this culture shock as well, I guess. Particularly for me.

Now, I feel like I have always been living a rather.....shelled life, meaning I never really got the opportunity to meet different types of people that aren't like me. Oh man, how to put this nicely. Ok so let's just say that I have somehow always been around people who are academically strongm obedient children. I was in a pretty good primary school, in the top class, in the IP programme in secondary school, in the top class in JC. And even though I joined committees outside of school, the people there somehow also hail from good schools, good backgrounds, leading an obedient life.

So imagine the shock when the people in my camp group drank for all the nights straight during the camp. Right from the first night man, it was drinking session already, at 2 am in the morning.

It isn't a bad thing, I'm not saying that I dislike such behaviour and think it is bad. I'm simply not used to it. I do appreciate the exposure, as it's always interesting to find out about other ways of life.

Ok, enough with the rant. Yes, if you haven't realised, it's a rant. I guess what's important is to hold the correct mindset when joining new stuff. That is to be open, but firm with your own personal believes. I guess that's my mistake in my first camp, being too resistant to the exposure. Right now, I'm just going to go into my second camp with an open mind, ready to try new things and meet new people.

University life is bound to be a change for anyone, from any walk of life. I am excited for this change, yet eager for things to settle down into a nice momentum. While I'm hasty for certain things to happen, I'm going to cultivate my patience and simply enjoy the process, while still doing well enough to maintain my scholarship. All the best to me!

Life after getting mermaid hair

You get addicted to it. Like seriously. You'll start wondering why you never ever got it earlier in your life.

Bleaching is TERRIBLE for your hair, there's no way your hair won't turn bad if you bleach, no matter how much olaplex you add into the mixture. The maintenance after is also a real headache. Your hair is going to take up much more time and energy than your face ever did, which is ultra weird for me.

It took some getting used to when I first got my mermaid hair. As my face is generally yellow-toned, the cool colours(blue, purple and pink) just emphasised how yellow my face is. And I didnt like that at first. Especially when I look into the mirror without makeup, I look like some dead person.

My hair was fried too, it was the worst state I have ever seen my hair in. And that made me really upset too. Even a trip down to Chez Vous, splurging $200++ wasn't enough to get my hair back to how it was.

But once I came to terms with my damaged and dry hair, I started loving the colours I have on my hair. It was liberating. I have people all around me, saying that I'm crazy, saying how bad it was for my hair, and how I should treasure my natural good hair, instead of destroying it with bleach.

But I'm pretty sure deep down, they are saying, omg it's awesome and I want it too. I mean, my mom was totally against me getting mermaid hair. Now though, she's always going out with me, so I guess she must think the mermaid hair looks good beside her;)

I just gotta start putting stronger eye makeup and use suitable bases to cover up my yellow-tones. And problem solved.

I just had to spend more time and effort on my hair, meaning coating it with coconut oil before washing my hair with (Marc Anthony's Bye Bye Frizz) sulfate-free keratin shampoos and conditioner, as well as blow-drying my hair till dry with a special (Marc Anthony's Moroccan Argon Oil 3 Day Smooth Perfect Blow Dry Cream *this cream is phenomenal and actually DOES what it CLAIMS*) keratin blow-dry cream. Honestly, while my hair is still damaged, it is good enough for me to let it down and go out of my house.

Sure, some people will judge you for your hair colour. Especially in Singapore, such bold colours are deemed "deviant" by some of the more conservative few, although the majority of us are pretty open to crazy occurrences. One such incident was when I was ordering a meal at macdonalds. The waitress wasn't exactly rude or anything, but I saw her eyes widen that little bit when I spoke to her in perfect English. Haha, I had a good internal laugh as I wasn't sure if she thought I should be some singlish-spouting ah lian, or if she just wasn't used to Singaporeans speaking perfect English. *I don't normally speak perfect English, but I was fresh out of a lineup of interviews, which would explain why my natural instinct then was to speak in perfect English*

So anyway, I am currently very attached to my hair, and I have not an ounce of regret for frying my hair. The colours are unfortunately fading fast on the top layer of my hair as my bed is right beside a big window which means a halo of sunshine every morning, and since I have been waking up at 10 nowadays, it usually means around 3 hours of UV rays on the top layer of my hair *sniffs* I would probably go back for a touch-up, but I'm kinda interested in watching it fade till a silver (my hair stylist added a purple pigment in the blue and pink she used as it fades to a silver). Maybe I'll get a purple shampoo to maintain platinum blonde for a while. I DON'T KNOW! I'll see how it turns out.

If you're considering getting some crazy hair colour, GO FOR IT! Honestly, when you're old with budding white hairs, you'll be regretting not having gotten crazy colours in your youth. Be fully prepared for the maintenance and change though, besides that, bleach + crazy colours is an experience not to be missed.

Getting that Unicorn Hair: Home-dye + Chez Vous

I finally got it! My colourful hair!! And this was after months of research and mental preparation.

Part I: Dyeing my hair

I'm afraid I didn't get it done at a salon, as I found a contact through a friend that would do it at a really affordable price. Note though, that this contact is no professional, licensed hairdresser, she's just really experienced in bleaching hair and doing creative colouring. I'm not sure what type of bleach she used, but for the colours, she used Manic Panic and Special Effects, which isn't as long-lasting as the new Pravana colours, but they are ammonia-free:)

It wasn't easy getting to my current hair colour though, it took around 8 hours just to get this colour. And this is just the colouring part, without treatment or cut.

I dyed my hair brown a few months back, and so there was a significant amount of regrowth, hence she started putting the bleach on the regrowth first, avoiding the roots by about 1 inch. After she was done, she started spreading the bleach through my hair. After that she covered it with cling wrap and we waited for about an hour before she started on my roots and covered the hair once more with a layer of bleach. Cling wrap again and we waited for another hour before we're finally done! She rinsed the bleach out with shampoo then proceeded to dry my hair.

Somehow, my hair didn't feel bad while we were shampooing it, but when she was drying it, the true damage to my hair can be seen and felt. It was really dry and got tangled really easily. But well, guess this is to be expected. She didn't dry my hair totally, leaving it sightly damp instead as she was apprehensive about applying too much heat onto my newly damaged hair. Then she started mixing the colours together, diluting them with conditioner before placing it on my hair. After waiting for a while, we rinsed it out and tadaaa, I got my colourful hair!

I was actually interested in getting Pony's hair as seen here:


My hair stylist managed to achieve something similar, although the colours are lighter and more pastel, not as dark and metallic as Pony's. Am I happy about the colour? The combination is really pretty, but perhaps not very suitable for my tanned skin, as it made my skin look darker. Also the colours were more vibrant and clear-cut at the roots compared to the hair ends where the colour starts to get a bit muddy after all the mixing. I don't actually dislike the muddiness, as I feel that it gave my hair dimension and gave a "melted colour" sort of feeling. But oh well, the colours are bound to fade out fast, so I'll see about the end product after the fading.

Well, after 2 rounds of bleaching and 1 round of colouring, my hair was bad. Like terrible. It was really really really dry, rough and dull. I wasn't really surprised as I kind of expected it. My hair was on the drier side before bleaching, plus I had it dyed to a rather light brown a few months before. So such a result is not surprising. But wow it was bad man. I couldn't leave my hair down without it looking like straws poking out of my head. I constantly had it in a braid as 1. it shows off the colour 2. kept my hair together and hid the damage.

Part II: Treatment + Cut

So after the ordeal my hair had to go through to achieve the unnatural pastel colours, I had to treat it to attempt to restore any sort of health and shine I could. Chez Vous, a highly-rated salon for its top-notch hair services, happened to be doing a GSS Sale. Look at their website for the full list of packages they are offering, but note that it's only till end June! The one that caught my eye was Bundle 2: Cut + Express Revitalising Supreme Treatment for $199++. The treatment is part of their award-winning trilogy system, so I thought it would be a good treatment for my extremely damaged hair.

So I made an appointment and went down to Ngee Ann City to have my hair restored!

As I entered the shop, I approached the receptionist and she quickly sat me down and offered me a drink of my choice. Soon after, my designated stylist came and started assessing my hair. As it was obvious I had something done to my hair (pastel colours yo), he asked me about where I did my hair, and how just so that he has an idea of how he should treat it. After having a good look AND feel of my hair, he decided that he needed to intensify the treatment by increasing the amount used and time the product is left on my hair. He then proceeded to ask about how I would like my hair to be cut. As I didn't want it short, he simply trimmed off the irreversibly damaged ends and shaped my hair. After that, he got his assistant to help me wash my hair.

Gosh I don't feel like going into details here by I feel like I should, as I realised that reviews online are not giving the full story.

Ok so wash hair it was. The assistant was alright, he wasn't rough with my hair and scalp and the wash included a short head massage as well. I don't know much about massages but it was alright for me. Oh and he used the kerasilk shampoo on me too, guess it's part of the treatment.

Some people claim the chairs at the washing area to be extra comfortable, but to me, it was just a chair. A padded chair. I'm sorry but comfortable, in my dictionary, is one where I don't mind sleeping on. The chairs at Chez Vous were just normal. I would choose my aged sofa over their chairs any day.

Ok so after that, he put my hair up in a towel and we went back to my seat. They towel-dried my hair and then his other assistant came by to put the treatment.

At this point in time, I'm thinking that my experience is getting different from what many reviews online described. From research, it seems like Salon Vim is affliated to Chez Vous, and there is an abundant amount of reviews online that would enlighten you on the fact that at Salon Vim, the one processing your hair is often the assistant of the main stylist. And apparently, people are saying it's different at Chez Vous, that no matter what, the main stylist would be the one handling your hair the most often.

Now, I know this is just a simple application of treatment, not doing any damaging chemical services, so asking an assistant to do it should be alright, right? Well, that's what I thought, so I let it go initially.

So this assistant apparently sucked at English, I had a really hard time understanding and communicating with him. So I simply whipped out my phone and let him do his work.

So apparently it's a 3-step treatment. The assistant explained the procedure to me and highlighted the benefits of each step. A special iron would be used to enhance the absorption of the treatment and he made sure to show me just how fascinating the iron was.

Firstly some hyaluronic acid-containing cream was placed on my hair. My hair was then ironed by that special iron.

Then the second step commenced as he placed another cream which contains some amazing oil and also used the special iron.

*Sorry if it seems like I'm being sarcastic, I'm not. I'm just too lazy to repeat all the terms and description that can be found on their website.*

After he was done with the second step, he ushered me to the washing area to rinse out the remaining treatment on my hair and placed the 3rd-step cream on my hair, which was suppose to lock in all the goodness from the 2 steps before. Normally the cream is left on one's hair for around 10 minutes, but cos my hair was deemed really bad, he left it in for 15 minutes.

So I had to lie down at that washing area for 15 minutes. I simply took a short nap.

Note that the assistant was always very ready and will always explain each step's procedure and benefits. Both the main stylist and assistant also tried to give me tips on protecting my hair, but unfortunately, I already knew of these tips as I researched online prior to going for the treatment. HAHAHA, but I appreciate the effort.

After the 15 minutes was up, he rinsed it out and ushered me back to my sit. The main stylist came back, and as he assessed my hair, guess what he told his assistant: "You let the cream sit for 15 minutes?" He said it in the are-you-sure-you-let-it-sit-for-15-minutes way.

Yes, people, there's a reason why I prefer salons with a hair stylist that would tend to your hair from start to finish. It's because you can avoid misunderstandings like that.

At this point in time, I'm thinking maybe the assistant didn't understand his brief accurately and didn't really placed more product on my hair. But then again, if it were the main stylist throughout, it could have been the same result.

But still, if the main stylist handled my hair from start to finish, we'll both know it's just because my hair was too damaged, and not because there may have been a misunderstanding in between.

*Sighs dramatically*

They finished up drying my hair and the main stylist proceeded to trim my hair to perfect it further. He then explained on how I could curl my hair myself at home to show off the colours properly, and proceeded to curl my hair.

It's not that the result was bad. I definitely saw an improvement in the condition of my hair. It is much less dry and rough as before. But it's definitely not back to what it was before bleaching. It's still rough and tangly, just not as bad as right after I finished the colour job. Like I can at least run my fingers through it smoothly. I would say that my hair changed from lifeless and extremely damaged, to damaged and dry hair. So it's not bad.

The service isn't bad too. My point is that reviews online may have over-glorified how good Chez Vous was. Or maybe their standard dropped recently. Either way, my experience was not like how reviews online described. I would even say that I was tired out from the process.

Maybe it's because both the main stylist and assistant don't speak English well enough for communication to be easy. I often had to repeat what I said for them to understand me. Maybe that's why it was tiring, because the silences were awkward and awkward situations tire me out like crazy.

I have had much experience going to hair salons, and I generally don't talk much while having my hair done at the salon. But rarely do I find the silence to be awkward. Here at Chez Vous, it was deafening to me, even though the salon was filled with background music and sounds from blow dryers.

Also, of all the salons that I have been to, cheap/expensive, local/overseas, none have dropped stuff as many times as at Chez Vous. The stylist and his assistant were dropping towels, clips, comb, curling wand, iron etc. It really made me doubt how "experienced" they are, if they can't even handle equipments properly.

Overall, my experience at Chez Vous wasn't unpleasant, but it wasn't amazing either. Would I come back? Yes, for their good hair services, but not for their customer service.

NTU or NUS Accountancy?

I'm pretty sure anyone who is thinking of, or has decided to study Accountancy in a local University would, at some point in time, think about which University to enter. For some, the choice is clear. But for others, like me, making that decision is a real big headache, figuratively and literally.

For myself, SMU was the first to be ruled out as I didn't really find the school's main selling point (the outspoken thingy) to be appealing to me. And ruling out that selling point, NUS would win in terms of opportunities and branding, while NTU would win in terms of course merit (In My Opinion).

That aside, it was down to NTU and NUS for me.  I ultimately went for the following courses (and was offered my top choices for the business school) in each University
NTU: Accountancy and Masters in Financial Engineering (3 + 1 years)
NUS: Accountancy and Masters of Science(Management) (3 + 1 + 1 years)

To decide between the two, I begin to analyse in terms of sections, which of course mattered to me.

1. Course: Which course is better?

If you don't already know, NTU's Nanyang Business School (NBS) is the longest-running business school out of all the 3 Universities. It is the most established, has the most extensive alumni, and takes in the largest number of students per cohort (for Accountancy). It is thus no surprise that NTU would win in terms of technical skills gained from the course

This was a conclusion I was confident of coming to after speaking to several NTU ex-Accountancy-students and asking working professionals. The general consensus was that the NTU graduates are generally more proficient in the technical side of accounting.

That is not to say the other Business Schools are bad though. I'm pretty sure SMU did not get so popular just because of their main selling point, and NUS did not get their all As in the 90th percentile in their indicative grade profile just because of school branding. All 3 schools will equip you with the necessary skills for accounting, but perhaps due to their experience and size of alumni, and perhaps because of the "Technological" in their school name, NTU offers an Accountancy course that focuses more on the technical side of things.

I am pretty confident of both NUS and NTU's ability in offering top-notch education and thus didn't really feel that this was a very important point to note. It is important to realise that while NTU focuses on technical skills, NUS focuses more on all-roundedness. If you live in the 21st century, you will know how important it is to be an all-rounder who can not only work, but also possess a whole lot of other skills. That is why for this section, I feel that NTU and NUS are on par. In fact I would say NTU, NUS and SMU are on par.

But if you prefer technical skills, or if you think you want to be the best speaker ever and don't think you will be able to cultivate that confidence yourself, by all means go for the other schools.

2. Scholarship offered

NTU - College Scholarship: Covers tuition fees and offers annual allowance of $3600
NUS - Merit Scholarship: Covers tuition fees, offers annual allowance of $6000, offers one-off computer allowance of $2000, guarantees 2 years of hostel accomodation, guarantees 1 SEP(student exchange programme) and offers an NUS Scholar Enrichment Grant for scholars to apply for 50% co-funding of local/overseas enrichment programmes

I don't think I need to say much here, NUS obviously takes the top spot here.

Honestly I really don't know how I could be one of the 20++ students offered the Masters in Financial Engineering Programme, but only obtain the college scholarship. I'm not saying I'm too good to not be offered it, I just don't understand how I could do well enough to get offered the programme, but not enough to get offered the Nanyang Scholarship.

Yes, I only attended 1 interview which was for both the scholarship and Masters course application.

Like seriously, how???

3. Masters Programme Offered

For the Accountancy course, I opted to apply for Concurrent Degree(NUS)/ Integrated Programme(NTU) instead of the double degree programmes.

For NTU, the Masters in Financial Engineering is a really quantitative course. Just look at the courses to be taken, there's a whole lot of cheem math, finance, and even computing included. This would be a really good masters course for those looking to pursue a career in the quantitative side of finance as it is a really well-established course (7 weeks in Carnegie Mellon Uni!!!) and is only 1 year if you are doing it full-time.

Many people around me encouraged me to take up this course as they say that the quantitative side of finance provides a more stable career as it is a specific skillset that not everyone has. Due to that, you aren't as dispensable as people in the management side, especially during economic downturns. Also, pay is really good for this area.

But, well, I don't see myself in the quantitative side of finance. I can't say that I won't do well, or that I will absolutely hate it if I go into it, but as of now, that is not a career I want to pursue. I don't want to face numbers, data and diagrams all day long. I want a really interactive career that would bring me to see different types of people and if possible, all over the world. I feel like I would be signing myself to a death sentence if I take up this course.

True, you can always just treat it as a good extra skillset if I don't end up in the quantitative side of the finance industry. But if that's the case, why the hell then am I wasting my time over this masters??? It would become useless, in my opinion.

NUS offers a more general masters, Masters of Science (Management). Many people, and even the professor in charge of this programme himself said that it is a general masters that is not necesssary for Accountancy students. Anyone can do management, so basically it isn't a very valuable masters, by itself. But NUS offers a dual masters programme with the CEMs Masters in International Management(MIM) that would bring you to 2 schools overseas and an internship in Singapore or overseas. I don't wanna go into a long story about this CEMs MIM, go look it up yourself if you are interested, but it is an upcoming masters that has risen in its prestige to be comparable to MBAs offered by prestigious Universities around the world. It is just more catered to fresh grads, while the MBA is more catered to working professionals.

After speaking with the professor from NUS, while he didn't outright say it, he suggested that as long as a student taking the MSc wants to do the dual masters, he or she should be able to get an offer, since to do the masters you must be of a certain academic caliber anyway.

The potential benefits to the career is also in line with what I envision for myself.

Hence, after much consideration, and I truly mean much (I literally suffered from a migraine over this), I decided that the NUS one is better for me.

4. Duration

We all know NTU offers the 3-year direct honours while NUS (and SMU) is a 4-year programme for honours. NUS gives you the option of obtaining your degree after 3 years, but you won't get the honours unless you complete the 4th year.

And if you have been to an NTU business talk, you would have heard about their cost and benefit analysis of that 1 year less of studying. But even if you have not, you don't need to perform an extensive tabulation to know that 1 year less of studying is 1 year's worth of savings in school fees(if you are not under scholarship), 1 year more of income and 1 year more of experience. Also, you are 1 year ahead of your friends who graduated from the 4-year programmes.

I think you really have to think for yourself, whether or not that 1 year is very significant to you. Some questions to ask yourself are:
1. Are you aiming to enter an accounting firm?
2. Are you ready to face the possibility of your fellow peers(same age) being ahead of you in the corporate world?
3. Is that 1 year really that important?

This was actually the main reason why I had such a hard time deciding between NUS and NTU. From the earlier sections, NUS would have been my choice. But it was that 1 year that NTU would help me save, that held me back from accepting the NUS offer. For me, the money was not the main issue, since I will be on scholarship anyway. But it was more of the experience that made me mull over my decision.

Ultimately, I decided that the 1 year isn't very important to me. I guess it's because I was thinking about the long years of working that I would have to face after graduating. The retirement age is constantly being delayed later and later, and by the time it's time for me to retire. the retirement age would probably be at 80, if not worse. The word "youth" would be referring to a broader time frame, and with my "young at heart" mentality and gerascophobia, my future self would most probably thank me for that 1 year more of student life.

Also, NUS allows one to leave after 3 years. If I decided then that that 1 year is important, I can still choose to go. Hopefully it's because I received a really good offer from a company, otherwise my ex-colleague at PwC who didn't have an honours degree is not doing worse than her peers who had an honours.

And so, I decided to go with NUS. NUS, I feel, also offers better opportunities for one's student life. Their exchange programmes are much more established, their branding both locally and internationally is also really attractive, and the opportunities the business school gets is not worse than NBS.

If you are also fretting over which school to choose, first find out what you want in both the short term and the long term. Once you have established that, your decision will suddenly become clear. Most importantly though, you should already be prepared to face the consequences of your decision. I mean both the good and the bad. I am prepared to one day curse myself for not taking the specific masters as I pack my stuff after being sacked during an economic downturn. I am prepared to have to work under peers of my age due to my 1 year delay in entrance to the workforce.

I am also prepared to spend a good 5 years of University life, living my youth to its fullest. I am prepared to put in my all in my career so that time and qualifications no longer matters. And so, let's hope for the best.

Sucker Punch - A flop? I beg to differ

Sucker Punch is one of my all-time favourite movie. I loved the fantasy-like realm that was created in the movie. Even though everything was just Babydoll's imagination, they actually hold much more meaning in reality, because it was what held her through her difficulties and eventually pushed her to overcome them.

It is precisely the video game elements that seem to put off a majority of the audiences.Reviews are talking about how it is ridiculous, just an animation of a video game, a waste of time and money, and how incomprehensibly simplistic the movie was to them. Maybe it's because the movie was an illustration of one of the many different types of adversities one may face in the world. Maybe it's because they didn't like how unrealistic Babydoll's method of overcoming her obstacles was.

But that's precisely why I love the movie. To me, it's more than just a video game, or a showcase of beautiful girls adept at martial arts. I have never even remotely thought of the movie as feminist.

The movie was an illustration of what many of us stuck captive in reality would want to do: escape from reality.

Perhaps that's why I loved the movie so much. Because I myself would love to escape from reality once in a while. If only I could fly, wave a sword, kill monsters and still look good while doing that.

Or maybe your fantasy could be something else. But whatever it is, Sucker Punch basically embodies this desire of ours.

Yeah I am faced with difficulties, and yeah I gotta be strong and overcome it, but if fantasising is what's gonna get me through this ordeal, then no harm right?

And so, whenever I find myself too deep in my self-doubt, I watch this movie to feel good. To be able to fantasise a little so as to handle the mundanity of reality.

Watch the movie. Don't always look for some deeper meaning to make yourself feel good about your intelligence. Siimply enjoy it. Sometimes you get so much more without trying to look for it.

Being rebellious to not be rebellious

Alter Egos.

I was actually greatly inspired by Michelle Phan's makeup video on her alter ego. And just a few days back, I was suddenly overcame with this great need to dye my hair in all sorts of colours (namely pastel blue, pink and purple). I guess it was initially just the desire to do something cool, and come on, colourful hair is nice;)

And then it grew into a need, because I felt that my life was just too.....normal? Hm I'm not sure if that's the right word to explain it. How about....common? Or perhaps you can say I've been doing what a first-world society expects of a child nowadays. That is to get good grades, get a good degree, get a good career. No, I have only reached the "get good grades" stage, but all the conformity is driving me crazy. And thus my sudden need to dye my hair crazily. Even though I know how bad bleach is....sighs....

Maybe that's why I suddenly came to this idea that in order to not become rebellious, we should occasionally be rebellious. Ok, before anyone gets confused, I mean to do things out of the norm once in a while so that you don't get driven to the extreme and end up taking a path of no return. And that's something I realised I have always been doing.

When I was still a kid, like literally a kid, below 10 years old, I actually stole before. Thank god I just stole from my mom's shop though, nothing serious. It was more of me being upset with her refusing to buy me whiteboard markers. And since she happened to sell whiteboard markers in her shop, I just took it and pretended like it appeared at home all of a sudden. Yeah, I know, awesome stealing skills. Obviously I got into SO MUCH trouble for that. It was lectures one after another, from the father down to my relatives, adding in some caning as seasoning.

And then when I went into my teenage years, I decided that the stress of having to do well academically and on my portfolio was too much to take. But instead of going into drugs or bad influences, I punched the wall! And broke my hand........and ended up in a cast for a month...... I wouldn't recommend this method of rebellion to anyone by the way, it hurt physically, it hurt my pocket (ER fees aren't cheap) and it hurt my portfolio (I couldn't take part in SYF cos I couldn't play my violin)

Now, finally, being liberated of A levels, I needed one more act of defiance. Uh...okay....maybe dyeing my hair is not exactly defying anything, I mean, my parents are perfectly fine with that. But I guess what I wanted to do was just something different. Something bold. I think I might just dress up like a goth one day after dyeing my hair:D (I genuinely think that goths are real cool k, no negative connotation in my words)

And so to end this post off, for those who can't seem to stand life and feel like deviating from the socially approved path, maybe you can try small acts of rebellion to try to appease your restricted heart and soul. If it isn't enough, then deviate a little! Just don't go so far in that you can't come back out. Drugs and illegal acts aren't the only ways to rebel against your parents. Be a little unique, challenge rules and regulations, challenge the way things are done. It could be little things like arguing with your chairperson. Or you could be the next historical figure by coming up with a new concept or idea.

I DID IT!!!! (kinda...?)

So before my last paper which was H2 Chem paper 1(MCQ), I wrote a post on Managing A levels , and in there I shared about my own experience and provided info on my own performance for you guys to have a rough gauge. Actually, it is mainly targeted at students, who like me, have always been a "there but not quite there" student, i.e. the average student. We don't perform badly, but our results are nothing to boast of as well.

And so, I got my results on Friday...and........

Well the title kinda gave it away already right? I obviously must have done not bad, or maybe even well. So yeah, I got 6As and 1B, taking 4 H2s.

I was honestly just relieved when I first got to know my results. In fact, I didn't join the rest of the cohort in receiving my results. Yeah, call me a coward, but you would probably understand if you knew how it works in my school.

So everybody will gather at the hall, and at the time for official release, the principal will announce how the school did overall, moving on to the various subjects, comparing the A rate within the school and to national. After that, they will call out the names of all who got 6As and above. Ok, so imagine if you were one of those who did not get 6 As or above. You don't know how you did. 5 or 4 As would still be okay, even 3. But 2 and below? I don't know about you but I would start getting worried. And it's precisely this uncertainty that I wanted to avoid. The unknown of what you got ould be enough to drive anyone nuts.

And so I deliberately applied for only a half-day leave from my internship, and even joined my team at Paypal for a lunch treat by the senior manager(come on who will wanna miss a free treat??) which resulted in my only leaving at 2. And then even when my parents came to fetch me and we reached the school, I had to scream(I know, it's rude) at my father to not alight me just yet.

I was very scared. Really. All I could think about was holding my result slip and not being able to find the highly coveted letter 'A'. And it was made worse when I saw my fellow schoolmates who have already taken their results and were lounging or crying by the corridors. In the end I was thinking I should just wait till most of the people have left.

My friend went for the whole process though, and she was the one who texted me to let me know I got 6As. Before that I was sitting in the car at my school's parking area, refusing to go up.

Naturally, I was happy and relieved. I didn't have to change any plans, I could go forward as planned. That is applying for Accountancy, the various programmes, and even going for law. At the same time I am eligible for several scholarships, so its really no harm trying.

And I walked into the hall with my head held high. I still remember the smirk on my face when my teacher ask my mom how her daughter did. My mom proudly said 6As, and he was all "wow that's really good, who is she?" And lo and behold its me.

I am not happy because I did better than others. I am happy because I proved them wrong, once again, just like how I proved my teachers and friends wrong in PSLE.

As a "there but not quite there" student, we are often the neglected bunch. Teachers know we will do well enough to survive, and so they don't care about us. They also think that we aren't that amazing anyway, so they don't need to care about us.

And so comes the insane satisfaction of slapping them in their faces with your result slip.

Perhaps it's just my frustration and dissatisfaction with the highly elitist society.

But.....(this may be offensive to those who didn't do as well) I started doubting how well I actually did. In other words, in my mind, I was thinking: is 6As really that good?

This isn't just me aiming for more since I got something good already. But really, its because the cohort has been doing better and better at every A level examination. 6As is no longer that big a thing. In fact, I believe at least 10% of the cohort for 2015 got 6As and above.

Regardless of how I did compared to the entire cohort, 6As was my original goal, and I got it. It is a cause for celebration, no matter what.

Honestly, who cares how you've been performing all the while from sec 1 till O levels till Prelims. As long as you can get the As in A levels, that's all that matters.

It's after As, and its all party and sunshine......or?

This probably applies not only to those who are taking A levels, but generally people who are taking major exams and are waiting for their results.

So you know how before and during the examination itself you are all "can this please be over now", "ugh just imagine my life after As" and "i can't wait for the stress-free life".......

Well let's just say it isn't all party and relax after As. Why exactly?

Waiting for the results......:O
Obviously it's going to be nerve-wrecking, waiting for any results. But waiting for the results that could totally define at least 3 years(Uni) of your life? Not fun at all. So while you are enjoying yourself, watching dramas, animes, doing stuff that you normally wouldn't be able to do while studying, there seem to always be this cloud hanging about ominously, reminding you that everyday passed is a day closer to the release of the results. I personally had a nightmare about receiving my results, and realising that they were total shit results. Like just passed results. Not only me, I have friends who have had similar nightmares, some even continue to dream about studying and taking the a level exams. Basically, be prepared for the stress of waiting for your results which could as likely put you into a panic attack as studying for the exam.

Applying for Universities and Scholarships
No matter what school you are in, as long as you are in Singapore, you are bound to experience pressure from somewhere on getting into good universities and obtaining a scholarship either to relieve your parent's burden or simply for the prestige. And you know what, all these started like all the way back in Secondary 2 for me. My LA teacher, out of the blue, begin speaking really seriously to us and telling us that we have to think and plan for the future, otherwise what is the use of getting into the IP programme. I'm pretty sure it went something like this: "Well, shouldn't you guys be thinking about the future already, what university you are aiming for, what course you want to take, are you applying for scholarships? Or even the most basic, you guys should be preparing for your A levels right now. Otherwise when you want to start preparing? When you are in JC? Then what is the difference between you IP students and the O level students? Then you guys might as well go into O level?" *Disclaimer: not saying O level or IP is better, it's just a fact that IP students do not have to take O levels and hence technically can start earlier in preparing for A levels* And so the true trouble actually starts right after As.....assuming you are not going for early admission cycles or applying for internships or taking necessary tests like the SATs or BMAT for US and UK universities which all takes place before or during A levels. Sighs, I actually wonder how I got through those 2 years now. Ok back to the topic, so now, early admission cycles are starting for Universities, interviews are taking place, scholarship applications are opening up. You gotta consolidate all your achievements and dump them all into your portfolio, prepare essays for the applications and prepare for your interviews to show just how passionate you are about something. You think that's easy? It's kinda like doing another PW all over again. You gotta worry about the results too. So you know, it's not all fun and games and nua-ing on your bed cos you have to be doing all this admin work.

Work.....
Working somewhere, gaining relevant life skills and experiences while earning some extra pocket money is most probably part of many people's after As activity list. While you may not be doing anything challenging, even doing menial jobs from 9 to 5 is tiring...for some reason. By the time you get home, all you want to do is sit on the sofa and not move. There is a wide variety of jobs you could do but I actually applied for an internship at one of the Big 4 Accounting & Audit firm and successfully got chosen for the programme. So basically I'm kinda living the OL life now, except I don't exactly go through all of the hardships(OT-ing without being paid, working round the clock, stress of delivering results...). I can't do much too, like duh, I have zero knowledge on accounting. So I can only help with their admin work, like printing and stuff, or if they do want me to help with chim-er stuff, they have to guide me through it and often I still have no idea what I actually did....Yeah.... So work is kinda boring, except there's fun parts like getting treated, observing interesting stuff... But yeah, there's the socialising part you gotta stress about as well. No I'm not anti-social nor do I hate human interaction. But you know, it's always stressful going into a new environment, knowing you not only have to learn and get use to a new style of life, but also new people, new connections. Worse, I don't know anyone that was also chosen for the internship. And while I did manage to build some friendly ties with quite a few of them during the first day of orientation, we were all split up to different teams. So basically, I am stuck facing a whole new team of permanent staff, adults, with not much common topics.... yes..... So I remembered my first few days being rather stressful. But it got better eventually when I continued to put myself out there and talk to them. So yes, perseverance! But man....it's tiring T.T

And really, there are so much more reasons why after As is not exactly that perfect as you would first imagine. Your parents would most probably not allow you to "waste your life" anyway. While I'm glad to be rid of the constantly studying life, now's not exactly enjoyable either.